Weekly Current Affairs: 12 Feb to 18 Feb, 2017

In its effort to have a full fledged multi-layer Ballistic Missile Defence system, India on Sunday, successfully test-fired its indigenously developed supersonic interceptor missile, capable of destroying any incoming hostile ballistic missile, from a test range off Odisha coast.

According to a government notification on February 10, 2017, senior IAS officer Ajay Tyagi has been selected to take over as the next Chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of India(SEBI). He will replace incumbent Chief UK Sinha who retires on March 1, 2017.

NPCI launches BHIM app on iOS platform.

Famous sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik on Saturday created a Guinness World Record by building the world’s tallest sand castle which is 48 feet and 8 inch (14.84 metre) at the Puri beach here.

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd, which operates Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, has won the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) Chairman’s Order of Merit for its focus on environmental sustainability and becoming the first airport in Asia Pacific to become carbon neutral.

The US and Japanese military have successfully tested the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA missile defence system by intercepting a medium-range ballistic missile target in space for the first time.

Ambassador, the iconic Indian car brand that till less than a decade ago carried both the Prime Minister and the common man, is being sold to French carmaker Peugeot.

Neelu Rohmetra is the first woman to be appointed director of an IIM at Sirmaur

The multinational Aman-17 naval exercise kicked off in Karachi on Friday with 37 countries taking part in the event.

Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi inaugurated the second edition of “Hunar Haat” -- an exhibition to encourage, promote and provide national and international market to master artisans and craftsmen of Minority communities from across the country.

Over 8 lakh people win Rs 133 crore under digital payments scheme.

Defending champions India defeated Pakistan by nine wickets in the final of the T20 World Cup for Blind to lift their second straight title.

NBA 2K eLeague, centered around Take-Two's "NBA 2K" franchise, will launch in 2018 and represents the gamemaker's first major push into the world of competitive gaming.

The three-day National Women’s Parliament, being organised by Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly with the theme of ‘Empowering Women — Strengthening Democracy’, began in the state capital region Amaravati.

The Indian Institute of Technology is starting an inter-disciplinary school on Quality and Reliability (Q&R), a first of its kind in India.

India plans to host a conference with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to share experiences and ideas on prevention of radicalisation.

Jiro Taniguchi, a legend in Japan's comic art of manga, died at the age of 69.

Food regulator FSSAI has set up a scientific panel to frame final regulations on fortification of foods and prepare strategies to address malnutrition problem.

Diego Maradona is getting an ambassador's role with FIFA.

Narinder Chauhan, who is presently the Ambassador of lndia to the Republic of Serbia, has been appointed as the next Indian envoy to the Republic of the Philippines.

R Ashwin became the fastest bowler to claim 250 Test wickets, achieving the milestone in his 45th Test match.

Monnet Ispat & Energy Ltd. CMD Sandeep Jajodia has been appointed the new president of industry chamber Assocham. Balkrishan Goenka, Chairman, Welspun Group and Kiran Kumar Grandhi, vice-chairman of GMR Infrastructure Ltd, have taken over as senior vice-president and vice-president respectively.

February 13 was celebrated as World Radio Day. It celebrates the radio as a way of educating people, providing information, and promoting freedom of expression across cultures.

Indian Navy’s survey vessel INS Sarvekshak has gone green by installing a solar power system on board.

Indian Navy’s survey vessel INS Sarvekshak has gone green by installing a solar power system on board.

Germany's parliamentary assembly has elected Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a Social Democrat, as the country's president.

The 2017 Grammy Awards handed out 84 awards to the music industry’s best and brightest.

Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” dominated the 70th British Academy Film Awards on Sunday night, claiming five prizes including best film, director, and leading actress for Emma Stone.

The longest elevated bike path in the world has been opened in a city in south-east China.

Government plans to come out with 'Indradhanush 2.0', a comprehensive plan for recapitalisation of public sector lenders, with a view to make sure they remain solvent and fully comply with the global capital adequacy norms, Basel-III.

Reliance Defence Signs Master Ship Repair Agreement with US Navy.

The Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya launched the National Career Service (NCS) for youths and Jeevan Praman facility to EPFO pensioners through Post Offices at DakSadan in Hyderabad.

Aimed at building synergy between business and foreign policy, the Ministry of External Affairs hosted co-host the second Gateway of India Geoeconomic Dialogue on February 13-14 in Mumbai.

After transforming the lives of villagers in Puttamraju Kandriga in Andhra Pradesh, Indian cricket icon and Rajya Sabha MP Sachin Tendulkar is now set to adopt Donja in Osmanabad (Maharashtra) under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna.

Loktak lake, the largest freshwater lake in the country, has now become home to first of its kind loktak floating elementary school.

Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers (GNFC) township, the state owned company's township at Bharuch, which has a population of around 5,000 and floating population of around 10,000 every day, has become 100% cashless and probably the first such township in India.

Paving the way for the conduct of kambala, traditional buffalo race, the Karnataka Legislative Assembly passed the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2017.

India's leading agri and FMCG company Ruchi Soya Industries Ltd has signed an agreement with Baba Ramdev-promoted Patanjali Ayurved Ltd for physical refining and packaging of edible oils.

In the United States, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn has resigned over his contacts with Russia.

The England and Wales Cricket Board named Joe Root as England’s Test captain who will take over Alastair Cook.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) set a new record in space mission achievements after it successfully launched 104 satellites in one go from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) elected Nilesh Shivji Vikamsey as president and Naveen N D Gupta as vice-president.

IDFC Asset Management Company has launched an open-ended fixed income fund and hopes to mop-up revenue in the range of Rs 300 crore-500 crore from the scheme in the NFO period itself.

Shri Ravi Shankar (IFS: 1995), presently High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Uganda, has been concurrently accredited as the High Commissioner of India to the Republic of Rwanda, with residence in Kampala (Uganda).

Australian cricketer Adam Voges has decided to retire from all formats of international cricket after playing his last match as captain of the team Prime Minister’s XI against Sri Lanka in Canberra.

Kush Bhagat, a second grade student from Hill Spring International School, was awarded the title of Candidate Master (CM) by World Chess Federation body, FIDE.

Jehan Daruvala won the Toyota Racing Series’ New Zealand Grand Prix at the Chris Amon Circuit in Manfeild, New Zealand, on Sunday to finish the 2017 championship on a high.

Tehmina Janjua becomes the first women to be appointed as the new foreign secretary of Pakistan. She will be replacing Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry in the office.

International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, has teamed up with Finance Industry Development Council (FIDC) to conduct training programmes for Non Banking Finance Companies (NBFCs).

Hosts Haryana won the first edition of the three-day Pandit Deen Dayal Updhyay All India National Style Kabaddi championship held at Motilal Nehru School of Sports.

Veteran journalist T V Parasuram, a former correspondent of the Press Trust of India, died today in the US due to age-related illness.

The 11th edition of the Aero India air show which starts in Bengaluru on Tuesday is expected to be one of the largest in recent years, with a focus on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India initiative.

Government has allocated an amount of Rs 500 crore to India Post Payments Bank for the financial year 2017-18 to help it in setting up 650 branches across country by September 2017.

According to the global financial services major Nomura, the GDP growth of India is estimated to remain low at 5.7% in the January-March quarter due to the effect of demonetization of high value currency.

HDFC life launched Pragati, a traditional life insurance plan that has been specifically designed to empower low income families.

Airbus signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for establishing a Centre of Excellence for aerospace skill development in Hyderabad, together with the Telangana government, National Skill Development Corporation India and AEROCAMPUS France.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the appointment of Jean-Pierre Lacroix of France to head UN peacekeeping for a year pending a review of the world body’s functions and structure.

World's "greatest" sprinter Usain Bolt pipped the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James to win the 'Sportsman of the Year' trophy for a record-equalling fourth time, while gymnast Simone Biles clinched the top honour in the women's category at the Laureus World Awards

Global Gene Corp and Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) launched the first-ever beacon for Indian genomics data, which is expected to help scientists develop more effective drug delivery systems.

The United States and Thailand kicked off the 2017 iteration of the annual Cobra Gold military exercises, Asia’s largest multinational drill.

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Martina Dalic, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy,Republic of Croatia have signed an agreement to boost bilateral trade and enhance economic cooperation in Zagreb, Croati.

India is among six nations participating in a conference on Afghanistan’s future in Moscow two months after Russia hosted a similar conference with only China and Pakistan.

A new district of Kalimpong was carved out of Darjeeling, which has seen separate statehood demands since 1980s, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee making the formal announcement.

The state MP government on decided to set up a tourism board. The decision was reached at a meeting of the tourism cabinet in Pachmarhi.

The Jammu and Kashmir government launched the e-Prison project to enumerate jail inmates in the State, where numbers of detainees keep swelling during unrest.

Cabinet has approved merger of five subsidiary banks with State Bank of India.

Norman Isaac has become the first Indian ever to be promoted by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) as Technical Delegate (TD).

A heroic Indian-origin Scotland Yard officer Shand Panesar has been honoured with a top bravery award in the UK for risking his own life to save a family trapped in a burning house, winning the vote of thousands of Londoners.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday said that regional rural banks (RRBs) can grant gold loans up to Rs2 lakh with bullet repayment option against the current limit of Rs1 lakh.

Shah Rukh Khan to host Hindi version of Ted Talks.

The Reserve Bank will start reimbursing MDR charges to banks for payments made since January 1 through debit cards by citizens

Citi has launched instant chat services for customers logged in to Citibank Online (CBOL) in India.

International Conference on "NexGen Technologies for Mining and Fuel Industries" [NxGnMiFu-2017] concluded in New Delhi.

Tata Motors and Microsoft India announced a strategic agreement to redefine connected and personalized driving experiences for Indian customers.

Neelam Damodaran appointed new ED of Bank of India.

All India Institute of Medical Science, AIIMS of Delhi has won the first prize and a cash reward of 5 crore rupees for maintaining high standards of sanitation and hygiene under the Government's Kayakalp awards.

Official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs of India, Vikas Swarup, has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to Canada.

The Kerala cabinet gave in-principle approval for setting up a greenfield airport at pilgrim centre Sabarimala.

The Indian Panorama Film Festival kicked off in Port Blair on February 15, 2017.

UNICEF makes $110 million appeal for Sudan children.

India ranked 143 in the 2017 Index of Economic Freedom.

A ‘Science Express’ train was flagged off a seven-month journey that will cover 68 stations across the country, including Agartala and Lumding in the northeast, to spread awareness about climate change.

Sindhu, who was previously on the sixth spot, surged ahead of Akane Yamaguchi of Japan, to attain her career best ranking.

Corporation Bank has been awarded once again ‘National MSME Excellence Award 2017’ organized by the Federation of Industry, Trade and Services (FITS).

South Indian Bank has been awarded with ISO 27001: 2013 certification for its Information Security Management System (ISMS).

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will build the first city on the Red Planet as part of the 2117 Mars project in collaboration with specialised international organisations and scientific institutes.

Melody Queen Lata Mangeshkar has been honoured with the 'Legendary Award ' 2017 by Brand Laureate.

Canara Bank has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) to operationalise the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA).

Thailand-based airliner Air Asia signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Odisha government in connection with beginning of two-ways direct flights from Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur to Odisha capital Bhubaneswar.

The government has increased the cash credit limit for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to 30 per cent of turnover from the existing 20 per cent to encourage such ventures conduct businesses digitally

Aadhaar card to be mandatory for College & University students availing benefits under Central Scholarships scheme.